Fred Lind Alles
Encyclopedia
Fred Lind Alles was a businessman and civic leader in Los Angeles, California, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving as secretary or other officer for various committees and for the National Irrigation Congress
.
, on August 2, 1851, and attended the public schools of Pitt Township between 1857 and 1861. He entered the printing business as a "kid press feeder" with the Pittsburgh Post at age about 13 in 1864, followed by stints at the Pittsburgh Dispatch
and the Workingman's Advocate, also in Pittsburgh.
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He moved to Chicago in 1868, where he was an office worker at the Religio-Philosophical Journal, being then promoted to foreman and writer. During this time, he attended a public school in Saint Charles, Illinois. He moved in 1872 to Sparta, Illinois
, where he was the publisher of the Sparta Plain Dealer. In 1874 he was the editor of the Belleville, Illinois
, Advocate, and he worked for the Sentinel in Pontiac, Illinois
, from 1875 to 1883.
Lind moved to Ontario, California
, in 1883, where he was president of the San Antonio Water Company in 1884 and 1885. Between 1884 and 1888 he was the publisher of Rural Californian magazine. In 1887, to recover his health, he made a trip to Alaska
, accompanied by Senators George Graham Vest
of Missouri, Charles B. Farwell
of Illinois and J. Donald Cameron
of Pennsylvania, and returned "weighing fourteen pounds more than when I started."
In 1889 he became temporary managing editor of the Riverside Press and Horticulturalist, but the next year he sold his Riverside County
orange grove and moved back to Los Angeles, where he became secretary and general manager of the Los Angeles Printing Company between 1890 and 1902. In 1890, a strike by printers
In March 1897 he became business manager of the Los Angeles Express
, and in 1901 he established his own printing business, which he maintained until 1905.
Alles was honored in January 1941 for a his life's work when a portrait of him by artist Arthur Cahill was unveiled in Los Angeles's prestigious California Club
.
By 1889 Alles had become commissioner of immigration for the Southern California Immigration Association and made a four-month trip to Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia that year. On his return, he was quoted as saying:
In September 1889, Alles began circulating a petition to change the name of Fort Street in downtown Los Angeles
to Broadway southward between First and Tenth Streets and to North Broadway northward of First Street, At first the petition "received but little encouragement," the Los Angeles Times reported, "as Fort Street is one of the oldest landmarks in Los Angeles, and the impression seemed to prevail that the name should not be blotted out," but eventually the argument that "Fort Street" sounded too much like "Fourth Street" prevailed, and the name changes were adopted.
Controversy enveloped Alles in 1895 when C.M. Heintz, his successor as secretary of the National Irrigation Congress, accused Alles of falsely claiming that the congress in Albuquerque, New Mexoco, had voted to thank both Alles and congress chairman William E. Smythe
for their service after they had announced they would not seek re-election to their seats. Alles was defended editorially in articles in both the Times and the Los Angeles Herald.
, who died in 1862, when Alles was about seven. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Allen in Sparta, Illinois, on December 4, 1873, in a double wedding with Mary's sister, Avis. Lind and Mary Elizabeth had three children, Allen Alles, Clara Lavinia Greaves and Lind Chesley Alles. Mary Elizabeth died on July 23, 1923, at the age of 73.
Alles died March 7, 1945, at the age of 90. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
.
National Irrigation Congress
The National Irrigation Congress was held periodically in the Western United States beginning in 1891 and ending in 1916, by which time the organization had changed its name to International Irrigation Congress. It was a "powerful pressure group."...
.
Professional life
Lind was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, on August 2, 1851, and attended the public schools of Pitt Township between 1857 and 1861. He entered the printing business as a "kid press feeder" with the Pittsburgh Post at age about 13 in 1864, followed by stints at the Pittsburgh Dispatch
Pittsburgh Dispatch
The Pittsburgh Dispatch was a leading newspaper in Pittsburgh, PA, operating from 1846 to 1923. After being enlarged by publisher Daniel O'Neill it was reportedly one of the largest and most prosperous newspapers in the United States...
and the Workingman's Advocate, also in Pittsburgh.
He moved to Chicago in 1868, where he was an office worker at the Religio-Philosophical Journal, being then promoted to foreman and writer. During this time, he attended a public school in Saint Charles, Illinois. He moved in 1872 to Sparta, Illinois
Sparta, Illinois
Sparta is a city in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,486 at the 2000 census.The city was the principal filming location for the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night.-Geography:Sparta is located at ....
, where he was the publisher of the Sparta Plain Dealer. In 1874 he was the editor of the Belleville, Illinois
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
, Advocate, and he worked for the Sentinel in Pontiac, Illinois
Pontiac, Illinois
Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,931 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Livingston County...
, from 1875 to 1883.
Lind moved to Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
, in 1883, where he was president of the San Antonio Water Company in 1884 and 1885. Between 1884 and 1888 he was the publisher of Rural Californian magazine. In 1887, to recover his health, he made a trip to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, accompanied by Senators George Graham Vest
George Graham Vest
George Graham Vest was a U.S. politician. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky, he was known for his skills in oration and debate. Vest, a lawyer as well as a politician, served as a Missouri Congressman, a Confederate Congressman during the Civil War, and finally a US Senator...
of Missouri, Charles B. Farwell
Charles B. Farwell
Charles Benjamin Farwell was a U.S. Representative and Senator from Illinois.Farwell was born in Painted Post, New York and attended Elmira Academy before moving to Illinois in 1838. He first tried his hand at surveying and farming before moving to Chicago in 1844, when he went into banking. ...
of Illinois and J. Donald Cameron
J. Donald Cameron
James Donald Cameron was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as Secretary of War under Ulysses S. Grant and in the United States Senate for twenty years....
of Pennsylvania, and returned "weighing fourteen pounds more than when I started."
In 1889 he became temporary managing editor of the Riverside Press and Horticulturalist, but the next year he sold his Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
orange grove and moved back to Los Angeles, where he became secretary and general manager of the Los Angeles Printing Company between 1890 and 1902. In 1890, a strike by printers
paralyzed the composing rooms of all the Los Angeles newspapers. Alles rounded up his print shop employees and dashed to the rescue, taking personal charge of the composing room of The Times and putting two of his foremen in charge of printing The Tribune and the Herald. One of his proudest possessions [in 1941] is a letter from Gen. Harrison Gray Otis thanking him for his efforts, "without which it would have been necessary for The Times to temporarily suspend publication.
In March 1897 he became business manager of the Los Angeles Express
Los Angeles Express (newspaper)
The Los Angeles Express was a newspaper published in Los Angeles in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Founded in 1871, the newspaper was acquired by William Randolph Hearst in 1931. It merged with the Los Angeles Herald and became an evening newspaper known as the Los Angeles Herald-Express...
, and in 1901 he established his own printing business, which he maintained until 1905.
Alles was honored in January 1941 for a his life's work when a portrait of him by artist Arthur Cahill was unveiled in Los Angeles's prestigious California Club
California Club
The California Club is a private social club established in 1888 in downtown Los Angeles, the oldest such club in Southern California. Its building was erected in 1929 and 1930 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.- History :...
.
Volunteer work
Lind volunteered as an officer or member of many nonprofit organizations. They included:- Illinois Press Association between 1877 and 1883, secretary
- PomologicalPomologyPomology is a branch of botany that studies and cultivates pome fruit, particularly from the genera Malus, Prunus and Pyrus belonging to the Rosaceae. The term is sometimes applied more broadly, to the cultivation of any type of fruit...
Society, Los Angeles, secretary, 1885 - Illinois Society of Los Angeles, secretary, 1886
- Los Angeles Fair Committee, secretary, 1887
- National Irrigation CongressNational Irrigation CongressThe National Irrigation Congress was held periodically in the Western United States beginning in 1891 and ending in 1916, by which time the organization had changed its name to International Irrigation Congress. It was a "powerful pressure group."...
, secretary, between 1893 and 1895 - La Fiesta Association in Los Angeles, organizer of an annual parade and fiesta, vice president, 1896 and 1897
- Los Angeles Chamber of CommerceLos Angeles Chamber of CommerceThe Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is southern California's largest not-for-profit business federation, representing the interests of more than 235,000 businesses in L.A...
, director, 1897 - Mechanics Institute in Los Angeles, director and secretary, from 1902 to 1923.
- Sunset Club of Los Angeles, secretary, for which he wrote The Sunset Club: A History in 1905.
By 1889 Alles had become commissioner of immigration for the Southern California Immigration Association and made a four-month trip to Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia that year. On his return, he was quoted as saying:
Everywhere I found people interested in . . . Southern California, and all were anxious to obtain some reliable information about our soil, our climate, our resources and our future prospects. . . . The impression that this is only a country for rich men is everywhere present, and people were surprised on being told that we have an abundance of cheap lands which can be profitably worked by men of ordinary intelligence possessed of muscle which they are not afraid to use.
In September 1889, Alles began circulating a petition to change the name of Fort Street in downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
to Broadway southward between First and Tenth Streets and to North Broadway northward of First Street, At first the petition "received but little encouragement," the Los Angeles Times reported, "as Fort Street is one of the oldest landmarks in Los Angeles, and the impression seemed to prevail that the name should not be blotted out," but eventually the argument that "Fort Street" sounded too much like "Fourth Street" prevailed, and the name changes were adopted.
Controversy enveloped Alles in 1895 when C.M. Heintz, his successor as secretary of the National Irrigation Congress, accused Alles of falsely claiming that the congress in Albuquerque, New Mexoco, had voted to thank both Alles and congress chairman William E. Smythe
W.E. Smythe
William Ellsworth Smythe, known as W.E. Smythe, was a journalist, writer and founder of the Little Landers movement, which aimed to settle small suburban lots with people who would farm their own properties, live off the land and sell or trade the surplus for needed income...
for their service after they had announced they would not seek re-election to their seats. Alles was defended editorially in articles in both the Times and the Los Angeles Herald.
Personal life
Lind was born about 1855 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Henry Alles or Alois and Elizabeth Kaufman. In his later years, he recalled that he once sat on a streetcar seat next to former president Martin Van BurenMartin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
, who died in 1862, when Alles was about seven. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Allen in Sparta, Illinois, on December 4, 1873, in a double wedding with Mary's sister, Avis. Lind and Mary Elizabeth had three children, Allen Alles, Clara Lavinia Greaves and Lind Chesley Alles. Mary Elizabeth died on July 23, 1923, at the age of 73.
Alles died March 7, 1945, at the age of 90. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
.